Between our Baltimore and Washington, DC, venues, more than 17,500 animals representing 900 species call the National Aquarium home. There are constant changes, additions, and more going on behind the scenes that our guests may not notice during their visit. We want to share these fun updates with our community so we’re bringing them to you in our weekly Animal Update posts!

Check our blog every Friday to find out what’s going on… here’s what’s new this week!

Lionfish

We have five new lionfish in our “Hiding” exhibit!

This vibrant species may look harmless, but each point of its needle-like dorsal fin packs a powerful punch of venom to any potential predators.

Lionfish, also known as “dragon fish” or “scorpion fish” are native to the reefs of the Indo-Pacific, however, they have spread to warm oceans world-wide and are now considered to be an invasive species.

The spike in their population world-wide poses a significant threat to ecosystems in the Gulf of Mexico and South America.

Over the years, the lionfish in the National Aquarium’s collection have come from areas in the Florida Keys in an effort to curb the threat this species is posing to native populations.